The Mexico Bulldogs boys basketball team defeated Versailles 79-52 in a non-conference game in the first round of the California Tournament on Tuesday night.

The Bulldogs got off to a slow start but warmed up in the second quarter to lead at the half 49-29. They continued to shoot the ball well in the second half and went on to post their 10th victory of the season.

Coach Brennan Scanlon was pleased with the way the Bulldogs responded after the first quarter timeout. The Bulldogs increased the defensive pressure and executed on the offensive end and hit a record 15 3-point shots. Jake Willer led the Bulldogs in scoring with 20 points, followed by Cole Jaramillo with 17 points, James Norton with 15 points and Jon Anderson with 10.

The Bulldogs, 10-2 overall and 3-0 in conference, will face a tough Fatima team on Thursday night at 6:30 in the semi-finals of the California Tournament.

SCORE BY QUARTERS:

MEXICO: 22- 2 -16-14

VERSAILLES: 19-10-9-14

INDIVIDUAL STATS FOR MEXICO:

Jake Willer: 20P, 2RB, 5 assists, 3 steals.

Jake Anderson: 4P, 11RB, 4 assists, 3 steals, 1 block.

Cole Jaramillo: 17P, 2 assists, 3RB, 1 steal.

Jon Anderson: 10P, 5RB, 1 steal, 1 block.

Matt Ridgway: 6P, 10RB, 2 steals, 2 assists.

Skylar Harrington: 1RB, 4 assists.

Jaeon Nunnelly: 5P, 2 assists, 2 steals.

James Norton: 15P, 5RB, 3 assists.

Tyler Bracht: 2P, 2RB, 3 steals.

MHS FRESHMEN: The Mexico freshmen Bulldogs basketball team beat Jeff City 62-52 Monday night. Leading scorers for Mexico were James Norton with 16 points, Wesley Oetting with 16 points and Malik Holman with 13 points.

Mexico's overall record is 6-1.

MMS SEVENTH GRADE GIRLS: The MMS girls returned to action Tuesday night after Christmas break, traveling to Moberly, but unfortunately could not bring home a win with the final score 30-16 in favor of Moberly.

"I thought we played a much slower game, which allowed a lot of good movement with the ball. The intensity could have been picked up more, but with this being our first game back from a long break, it's understandable," stated MMS coach Stephanie Schutte. Elisabeth Gooch and MacKenzie Davis did a great job with being aggressive and going to the basket to score. Leading scorers were: Adria Costley 10P, Elisabeth Gooch 3P, MacKenzie Davis 3P.

Mexico's record is 3-6 for the season.

MMS also lost in the "B" game 17-6.

The MMS coach said she saw a lot of hustle during this game. The girls went after the ball to attempt the steal and stop the offensive break. Lesli Key had a great 3-pointer, with Julie Rothermich helping out with 2P and Maria Santiago with 1P.

MMS SEVENTH GRADE BOYS: The Bulldogs started off 2013 the right way Tuesday night, beating Moberly 57-12 to move their record to 9-0 on the season. The Bulldogs jumped out to a 22-5 lead after the first and maintained control throughout, leading 35-5 and 51-11 after the second and third quarters.

"We started off hot in the first from outside and were able to jump out to a big lead. Everyone was able to contribute tonight, and I was proud of the effort we kept throughout the entire game," Coach Brandon Schafer said after the win.

MMS EIGHTH GRADE GIRLS: The eighth grade girls basketball team came back from a 10 point deficit Tuesday against Moberly to bring home a 23-14 victory. "We were down 10-0 at one point and made a big comeback with our defensive pressure and hustle. Our outside shots weren't falling quite like they usually do and we were outrebounded but kept up the intensity and made it difficult for them to score. I was proud of how we did what it took to get the win," said MMS coach Cindy Allison.

NORTH CALLAWAY BOYS: When No. 4 and No. 5 seed teams meet each other in a tournament it is expected to be a close game and that is the case of Monday's game when North Callaway and Hermann met in the first round of the South Callaway Tournament with the game ending in a tie at the end of regulation. In overtime it came down to the final shot of the game with North Callaway coming away with a 62-61 victory. Hermann went to the free throw line, hit the first one, missed the second and a Hermann player knocked the ball out of bounds. With 8 seconds left, North Callaway's Miguel Hudson took the ball the length of the court and at the key passed it to Zac Eads who went up for a short jumper for the final basket.

"Any win is a good win," said North Callaway Coach Tim Turlington. "We need to play a lot better with the top seed New Haven," he added.

Eads came away with 22 points and 9 rebounds on the night. "Zac Eads played very well tonight," said his coach.

Justin Murphy scored 19 points with 8 rebounds; and Jacob Haubner had 12 points. Vance Allen just missed double figures with 9 points. Hudson had 6 assists, 3 steals including one of the biggest assists of the game.

Page 3 of 3 - North Callaway, 7-3, plays New Haven at 6 tonight.

NORTH CALLAWAY GIRLS: The North Callaway Ladybirds, ranked 4th in the state increased their record to 10-1 Tuesday night when they defeated New Bloomfield 44-18 in the South Callaway Tournament.

The Ladybirds jumped out to an early lead, keeping the Lady Wildcats scoreless in the first quarter 19-0. This was a game in which coach Jack Peace used his bench players.

"We came out and played really well. It gave us a good opportunity for our players off the bench," said the NorCal coach.